Is anything worth doing, worth doing poorly?

It’s a topic we’ve seen a lot covered on social media – anything worth doing, is worth doing poorly. The idea is that if there is something we need to do, or want to do, for the sake of either our mental health, general welfare, etc., we ought to do that thing: for example, if we need to work out, taking a 10-minute walk is better than not exercising at all. Similarly, if we love to write blogs (we do!), we ought to at least put our thoughts onto paper rather than not take that first step towards writing a piece.

While I like this idea in theory, the thought should be shared that not EVERYthing worth doing is worth being done poorly. That is, in fact, why there’s things called subject-matter-experts who we call for when we can’t do things ourselves. While this certainly pertains to things like working on electrical panels in our house, or trying to tinker around with whatever’s making a noise under the hood of our car, it also applies to your business’ marketing.

Let’s take one scenario: imagine you’re a solo-preneur (a one-man operation), and you want to start taking on more clients. Previously, all of your jobs were by word-of-mouth marketing, but now that you’ve tapped that market, you’re ready to expand your horizons. In order to do this, you buy an ad space in your local newspaper, and rather than hiring a marketing or design agency to help you, you decide to tackle this one on your own.

From a general marketing perspective, there’s really nothing wrong with wanting to do something by yourself, or from wanting to buy a newspaper ad. Studies show that newspaper advertising has a higher trust rating than many digital ads. However, demographically-speaking, maybe buying a newspaper ad wasn’t the best decision for your business: 70% of households who read newspapers have an income above $100,000 – and maybe your business targets those who make less than that. Similarly, take into consideration the quality of the design: is your design filled with words, confusing and over-stimulating your readers? Or is it strategically designed to get individuals to want to learn more?

Don’t get me wrong – I understand just as much as the next small business owner that when it comes to running your business, saving money is key. But keep in mind the famous words by Henry Ford: “Stopping advertising to save money is like stopping your watch to save time.” In most cases, investing in quality marketing leads to a larger ROI – making marketing not an expense, but an essential part of growing your business.

I am an expert in marketing and advertising for all industries: I have a wide range of backgrounds from automotive to finance to retail to tech. Better yet, when you work with me, you essentially get a whole team supporting your marketing initiatives – meaning you have an expert copywriter, graphic designer, and media buyer, giving you the liberty to do what you do best: run your business.